Shortbread Brownies

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These Shortbread Brownies have a rich and fudgy brownie base with a buttery shortbread crust. They’re decadent and delicious!

These Shortbread Brownies are the perfect combination of two of my favorite desserts: cookies and brownies! For this recipe I used my tried and true Ultra Fudgy Brownies as a base and added a super simple and easy shortbread crust. The addition of the cookie crust creates these gorgeous layers of buttery shortbread and fudgy brownie! They’re to die for!

For more fun dessert combinations try my Fudgy Brookies, Oreo Cinnamon Rolls or Biscoff Donuts!

Ingredient Breakdown

Butter – provides flavor and texture. I always recommend using unsalted butter but salted butter works if that’s all you have on hand, just be sure to omit the 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Granulated sugar and brown sugar – both sugars are necessary for sweetness and texture.

Cocoa powder – gives the brownies their chocolate flavor! I always use natural unsweetened cocoa powder.

Eggs – binds the ingredients and provides structure.

Vanilla extract and salt – enhances flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.

All-purpose flour – just a bit of flour gives the brownies structure while still keeping them fudgy.

What Makes A Brownie Fudgy?

• Use melted butter instead of softened butter – creaming softened butter incorporates too much air into the batter which makes brownies cakey.
• Brown sugar – brown sugar adds extra moisture.
• No leavening agents – the lack of baking powder/soda prevents them from rising and keeps them dense.
• Small amount of flour – using too much flour results in brownies with a cakey texture.
• Shorter baking time – brownies should still be a little gooey when you take them out of the oven.

The Secret To Brownies With Crackly Tops

• The signature crackly brownie top comes from dissolving the sugar in the butter. To do this, you have to melt the butter over low heat. Once melted, mix in the sugars and stir until dissolved.
• Mix the eggs and sugar very well until completely smooth.

How To Make Shortbread Brownies

1. Make the Shortbread Crust: in a small bowl whisk the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar and salt.

2. Combine the melted butter with dry ingredients. Spread shortbread dough evenly across bottom of a parchment lined 8×8 pan. Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes then remove from oven and increase the oven temperature to 350°F.

3. Make the Brownie Batter: melt the butter in a small pot over low heat. While still on heat, add both sugars. Once they’re dissolved, whisk in cocoa powder. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, vanilla extract and salt. Slowly whisk the sugar mixture into the egg mixture until very smooth.

5. Fold in flour until almost combined leaving a few streaks of flour. Fold in the chocolate chips until just combined then pour batter on top of the prebaked shortbread crust.

6. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until the center is just set. Cool to room temperature or chill before slicing for cleanest cuts. Store Shortbread Brownies in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.

Pro Tips For Shortbread Brownies

• Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate; baking is a science after all!
• Don’t overmix the batter after adding the flour. There should still be streaks of flour when you add the chocolate chips.
• Don’t be tempted to over bake these. They will still be a little gooey when you remove them from the oven but they’ll continue to bake as they cool.
• Use a metal pan! Glass pans retain heat for longer resulting in unevenly baked brownies.
• Make sure your parchment paper hangs over the sides of the pan for easy removal after baking!

If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂